Truth or Happiness?

[packbat]

Okay, I can't sleep for wondering how people would answer this, so...

Which do you value more: truth or happiness?

Answer any way you please (though I reserve the right to delete anything obscene).

Comments

[noneuklid.livejournal.com]

What kind of happiness? Incohate bliss? Practical satisfaction? Cruel joy? Optimism?

What kind of truth? Accurate physical knowledge? Self-knowledge? Knowing the hearts of others? Groupthink?

Why know the truth if knowing it brings you no satisfaction? Why be satisfied if one knows the satisfaction is illusiory?

In other words, what's the difference?

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I actually did intend the question to be a little vague, but I thought it was clearer than that.

I didn't really have any specific level of happiness in mind – does the it make a difference to you? As for truth – accurate physical knowledge, pretty much, but I include self-knowledge and knowledge of the hearts of others in that.

As for your third line of questions, suppose that you're happy with your ignorance, but aware that you are ignorant, and knowledge may take away (some of) your happiness. For example, if you believe something that makes you happy but you know you have no basis for believing it. Do you seek truth or not, in that kind of situation?

[noneuklid.livejournal.com]

My first line of questioning isn't about level of happiness so much as type of happiness. The sort of happiness I feel on completing a difficult task is different than the sort of happiness I feel on watching a good movie.

Likewise, the sort of happiness I feel when I learn something is different than the sort of happiness I feel when I'm comfortable with myself. Because of that, I can't honestly say that learning the truth about something would make me less happy. Likewise, I'd say that people who choose one or the other would simply be prioritizing one kind of happiness over another, unless we're excluding that sort of satisfaction from our definition of 'happiness.' (Hence all the questions.)

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Okay. That's a good point, really. I guess looking at it that way, the question's really invalid. Thanks for your answer.